Sam's Big Problem
by Lockhart-in-the-Closet
Summary: Sam is having marriage issues. That's all I'm gonna say. DISCONTINUED - see note inside
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: I own nothing!_

Sam Manson was content with her life. Just content. She wasn't jumping out of her skin happy or terribly depressed. Just content. She had a husband, a young daughter, a career as an artist, and a very big house.

Sure, in today's society, big is better, but Sam just liked her house for the fact that it could hold all her stuff. That's what houses were for you know, to hold your stuff. Her stuff constituted as her paintings, her easels that were all over the house in different rooms that had different views of the beach, the sunrise in the morning, the sunset in the evening, the tire swing hanging off the oak tree in their front yard for her daughter, Michelle.

Gerard was a Workaholic. Actually, he was the definition of Workaholic. He worked in the Law Firm, mostly as an Attorney. So he often brought his cases to work with him, muttering about questions he might have to ask a person on the stand, or about the overall condition of his case. It honestly drove her crazy. She often tried to get his mind off of his cases; picnics at the park, going to the beach, or, if she was desperate, sex.

But over the past couple of years, he no longer seemed to desire her. He would ignore her coming to bed in her silk lingerie, soaking wet from her late night showers. He would ignore her suggestive looks or the way she'd touch his chest. He was solely concerned with his work, and frankly, it pissed her off. He was her husband; he was supposed to make love to her whenever she wanted it, dammit!

Because of his coldness, she feared adultery. Was there someone at work? An assistant D.A? Or maybe a girl he'd met at breakfast… she didn't let it rule her, of course, because she would vehemently deny it to her self that he might be unhappy. She was scared. The only people she talked to anymore after her marriage to Gerard were her family. Not even Tucker or Danny. She didn't blame them. They both had vehemently hated Gerard for his possessiveness when they first started dating during college. He would always be with her when she decided to hang out with them at a restaurant, or at a painting gallery that they both knew she loved. He would always have his arm around her, shooting glares at Danny and Tucker venomously. Now they didn't call her or anything.

Now, though, she just wanted him to look at her when she lay down in bed. But no, she couldn't even get that. What did a woman have to do around here to get some attention?!

Did she have to go to bed naked, or did she have to bust out the dominatrix outfit she wore out to the clubs? She didn't really want him seeing that, or Michelle. She had put away her old life, and now she was just…normal. A word and way of being she had hated as a teenager and a college kid.

Michelle had become her pride and joy. The 8 year old was everything that Sam had wanted in a daughter when she had become pregnant shortly before the wedding. Smart, Outgoing, Modest. The girl was exceptionally smart, and very artistic. She had skipped 3rd grade and had gone into the 4th , and of course, she was an avid reader as well. She looked like a young Sam: she had long black hair, lavender eyes, and a very fierce attitude when she believed in something. It was kind of heart warming to watch.

* * *

With a terrible sigh, Sam awoke to the sound of Gerard's alarm going off. Just another night of Gerard paying no attention to her. It was extremely frustrating, she thought with a furious sigh again. Why wasn't he turning that infernal alarm off? It was an insistent **BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! **

She flopped onto her side to look at him, and a wave of shock and sorrow overcame her. He wasn't lying next to her. Empty space occupied the place he should have been. She fought back the tears, and reaching over, she turned off his alarm. She had to get Michelle ready to go to school.

Throwing on a pair of blue jeans and a coffee colored tank top, she headed toward Michelle's room down the hall. It was awfully quiet without Gerard getting ready to go to work. Gently knocking on the door, she headed in, picking up toys as she went about the room.

After she was done tidying up, she went to the bed, were Michelle was fast asleep. "Sweetie…you need to wake up. Time to go to school." She gently shook the girl, murmuring that Michelle needed to get ready.

Eventually the 8 year old got up, and sleepily, she threw on a purple plaid skirt, a grey tee shirt, and black knee-highs. Then she put on her Mary Jane's. Michelle was definitely following in her mother's footsteps, and it broke Sam's heart. Her daughter reminded her of the time that she'd met Danny and Tucker.

The boys had been playing in the sandbox in Elementary school the first day. She had been picked on by a couple of the older kids, and dejectedly, she'd come over to play in the Sandbox. Danny and Tucker had seen her crying and had offered to beat the bullies up. She'd laughed and said that she was ok and just wanted to play in the sandbox. After that, they'd been practically inseparable. (For the record, they'd tried to beat up her bullies, but had been beat up themselves. When Sam found out, she'd beat the ever living crap out of the older boys.)

"Mommy? What's wrong Mommy?" Michelle was tugging on her arm, worry in her lively features. Michelle had always been very close to Sam, mostly because her father never came to watch her dance at school, and Sam did. She always went to her mother when she had a booboo or when she wanted to go get ice cream or anything, pretty much.

"Oh, Sweetie, nothing's wrong. I was just thinking about when I met uncle Danny and uncle Tucker." She crouched down to look at Michelle in the eyes as she said this and in the process, she pulled Michelle's hair back in a pony tail. Sam pulled her own hair back in a pony tail too. Then she stood back up and taking her daughters' hand, she went into the kitchen, slid into her flip flops, grabbed some pop tarts, and went into the garage where her black Mercedes waited.

Much to her chagrin, it appeared as though Gerard had taken the Mercedes to work that day, so that left either the BMW or the motorcycle. She opted for the motorcycle. Sam handed Michelle the pop tarts and grabbed her black helmet and Michelle's purple helmet. Her daughter ate her pop tarts as Sam checked the straps of the helmets and started the engine of the bike. After she had removed all traces of her eating habits, she climbed onto the motorcycle after her mother, yanking the helmet on as Sam opened the garage door. Making sure her backpack was secure, she wrapped her arms around her mom and nodded her head, giving the ok to go.

Sam revved the engine twice, and then peeled out of the garage, going at a steady pace to the school. She wanted to go fast, forget about Gerard, forget about Danny and Tucker, forget about her broken marriage, but she went the speed limit to the dot and got her daughter to school on time. Giving Michelle a kiss on the cheek, she bade her goodbye for the day, promising that she'd pick her up at 3:30, and sped off back home.

Upon arrival, she parked next to the BMW and went through the front door to the kitchen. Practically overturning every dish, opening every cabinet, she searched for a sign that Gerard had left or had gone to work. She looked and looked. Eventually she found a little note attached to her tofu container in Gerard's scrawled handwriting:

_Sam,_

_I am so sorry. I cannot stay with you and Michelle anymore. As you undoubtedly know, I am unhappy with our relationship. I am filing for divorce tonight. I have to tell you: I cheated on you with my Assistant. Her name is Karen. She's pregnant now, Sam._

_I hope you are not terribly upset, and I hope you do not go seeking revenge. I care about you and Michelle… so I'm leaving you everything except for my clothes, the Mercedes, and my bank account. I'll still be putting money into your account every now and then to pay bills._

_My best hopes;_

_Gerard_

With a chocked sob, she sat down on the tiles of her kitchen, sobbing as she re read the note. His assistant was pregnant with his child. He was filing for divorce…. Michelle and Sam were alone now. What was she going to do about money? Her paintings did well enough on their own, but she'd have to get a job to bring in extra money to pay off the Motorcycle, pay for Michelle's dance lessons, and pay the mortgage on the house.

The next thing she knew, she had the house phone in her hands, and she was punching in a number with shaking hands. She dimly recognized the number, and was slightly surprised that she remembered the number. But what if someone else answered? Or what if he had gotten a new phone?

"Hello?" A deep baritone voice answered, and she nearly fainted. It was him. She could tell. "Hello? Who is this?"

"Danny…."

_A/N: Read and review please!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this second chapter up. School is finally out, so I should have a little more frequent updates. :)_

_I do NOT own anything in relation to Danny Phantom or Final Fantasy VII. I wish I did._

* * *

Danny was kind of busy when his phone started to ring. After all he _was _in the middle of fixing his dying car. There were a few loose bolts this time, but he knew as soon as he fixed them, something else would go wrong with it. So, needless to say, he was a little peeved when his phone started ringing.

He'd hit his head on the bumper, surprised as he was that someone actually called him. Tucker had stopped calling once he got a job with Microsoft, and Sam was off being…well….Sam. Who's to say she'd pursued her Painting career, or if she'd left that ass of a husband yet. He could only hope, after all. So when his phone started ringing, and he'd hit his head on the bumper, he scrambled out from under the Nissan and over to his work bench where his cell phone was playing the Victory tune from Final Fantasy VII. That game was the shit.

After it'd played the tune twice, he finally had wiped off his greasy hands on an already greasy towel and was answering the phone. Of course, the caller ID didn't recognize the number, so he wearily put it to his ear.

"Hello? Hellllloooo? Who is this?" the other side of the line was silent for a few seconds, and then he heard a collective intake of breath before he heard a female voice whimper: "Danny." With just his name being spoken, he could tell so much about the person. It was Sam. She had gone through something that obviously had hurt her a lot. The pain in her voice told him that much.

"Sam!! Hey. What's wrong?" He rubbed his greasy hand through his jet black hair, then frowning; he wiped it on his white tee shirt. Danny heard a collective sigh again from the young woman, then just gently a small sob. It sent his senses on pins and needles. Something was **VERY** wrong.

"Gerard….cheated on me, Danny. He left this morning. I'm left the house and our daughter. He's going to be putting money into my account so I can pay the bills. But still…. He was so distant for a while. I thought something was up… but I didn't think….you know….that he would have done something like that. His secretary is pregnant, you know…." She was rambling, but he put through it, just listening.

"Well… I can stay with you guys for a while if you'd like. I'm on Emotional Leave, just so's you know." He didn't remember if he'd told her that he'd gone into the Detective work. He'd been on the Force for a while now, but he wasn't on it when they'd been in college. Unlike Tucker, Sam and Danny had been full time students. And after college, they'd lost touch. Of course, he still hadn't lost his love of being an Astronaut… he was considering taking training even now.

"What are you doing?" So he hadn't told her. It was just as well. He didn't know what she did. He could tell she was overtly interested in the topic; probably to avert her attention.

"Uhhh. I'm a detective now. Ya know, like Dick Tracy….?" He laughed softly at this, and so did she. It was so wonderful to hear her laugh.

"So why are you on Emotional Leave?" That was the question he DIDN'T want her asking. If he could have avoided it, he probably would have, but he had to tell her that little tidbit of information.

"Oh… uh…. Well…. I snapped during a case. It was kind of weird. Just went crazy." He pulled at his shirt slightly, nervous as ever. His blue eyes darted around the room, and he temporarily turned invisible, holding up his pants. His shirt fell down around his feet. And yes, Danny was still ripped from his years of supernatural crime fighting. He still could transform whenever, but the world didn't really need his help anymore, so he just did detective work now.

"Oh… well… I guess you can come over to stay for a while. Nothin' like catching up after your husband cheats on you…." Her voice had retained its tiredness. And he heard a commotion on the other end and then her voice again. "Well. Michelle is still at school. She'll be home around 3:30 or so. You can come by at anytime."

After that, they said their goodbyes, and Danny went back to fixing his car with renewed vigor. He'd need it to pack all the things he was bound to pack. It wasn't like he was moving in, but the visitation limit had been left open for interpretation. He planed on staying till he could go back to work. After he'd made sure his car was in working order, he went back inside his simple suburban home.

The house had two bedrooms and one bathroom. The rooms were small compared to what he had in college, but he wasn't going to complain. He'd shared his college room with Tucker, so it wasn't like he'd had the whole room to himself anyway. The living room was split into a dinning room. He had a mediocre television set, with a ratty old couch serving as the seating arrangement. The table was some kind of wood, and so were the chairs. There were a few pictures of him, Tucker, and Sam, or him with Jazz, Jack, and Maddie. There were no paintings or abstract photos. Just pictures of him and his friends and family. The basic color scheme of the entire house was black, grey, and white.

Danny went into the bathroom, pulling off his blue jeans first, then his boxers. It was time for a shower. He turned from looking at the mirror briefly to behind him where the tub/shower was. He turned the dial all the way over to the heat. His muscles were all tensed up. Gingerly, he stepped under the stream of water. Immediately, he could tell how tense he was. And it was only 10:00. That could only mean that the day was going to get a lot worse…


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: FINALLY!! GAWD. This took FOREVER and a DAY to get up. Let alone written. But yea. This is it. Not quite as long as I wanted. All disclaimers apply. :P_

Danny glanced into his rear view mirror as he turned onto Magnolia Road, where Sam's house was located. He eyed the large house, marveling at the woodwork. The house had a very old, Victorian feel to it. He could just tell that the house had cost a pretty penny. Danny parked behind the BMW, killing both the engine and the blaring music. He was a big fan of Disturbed, and he had recently bought the new CD, Indestructible. Danny popped the trunk, yanking his suitcase out and onto the driveway next to him. Then he heard the front door open.

Looking up, Danny was slightly taken aback. Sam had always favored dark colors, and here she was in jeans and a brown tank top. Definitely different. Her usually short hair was long, and down to the middle of her back. She was beautiful.

"Hey, Danny let me help you with your stuff." Sam stepped down from the porch and grabbed a few of his bags, turned on her heel and took them inside. Danny grabbed his suitcase and another bag, and followed her inside. The Foyer was wood and marble, with sculptures of Animals and Mythical creatures. There were paintings all over the walls; Picasso, Van Gogh, and several more that he couldn't name.

She led him down hallways much like the foyer, with paintings and pictures littering the walls. Most of the pictures and paintings now were of landscapes. His attention shifted back to Sam; she was opening a door, and he could only surmise that it was his room.

"Mkay. This is your room." Oh he was good. "Uhm… There is a guest bathroom connected to it, so you don't need to be all over the house looking for a shower." She smiled ever so slightly. "My room is upstairs, on the left. Michelle is the same hall, but further down. If you need either of us, that's were we will be." Sam left him to settle, going into the kitchen to fix a ham sandwich for Danny and a fruit salad for her self. She had 20 minutes before she had to leave to get Michelle.

Danny dropped his suitcase down at the foot of the Twin size bed, and then looked around the room a bit, placing the last of his bags on the bed. There was one painting in the room, and it wasn't a duplicate. The painters' initials were scribbled in the bottom left corner: _S.M._ He could just see her brushstrokes in the painting, the way she'd held the brush. He knew this was Sam's painting. It was of a little girl swinging in a car tire tied to an old Oak tree. A young man in a white button up, the cuffs rolled up to his elbows was pushing the girl, laughing. Danny knew this was Gerard.

His blood started to boil at the sight of the man, he wanted to crush his skull, push him down a cliff, anything, for Sam! As he delved deeper into his Horrible Fantasies, he failed to hear Sam come in. But when she cleared her throat, he turned to look at her. She had a plate in her hands. A ham sandwich was there. Danny smiled slightly, and took it from her, following her to the kitchen/dining room. He plunked down into one of the chairs, and began to chow down on the sandwich as Sam regally ate her fruit salad with none of the vigor that Danny had.

"So, _chew_, so what are you doing, Sam?" He asked between bites of the sandwich, glancing at her every now and then. Wiping his mouth, he stopped eating to stare at her.

Sam bit into the grapes and strawberries before answering his question. "I'm painting. In fact, I have a gallery soon. I don't know how much I'll sell though. I'm used to having some help with paying bills."

"Pshhh. I'll help. Even if I'm on leave, I'll get a part time job or something. But I'll help."

"No, you don't need to do that, you're our guest," she stared at him, no, she glared. She down right glared.

"Sam, I'm staying with you guys for a while. I'm going to help however I can, and you can't change that." He glared back, and eventually Sam backed down.

* * *

Michelle sighed as Tammy prattled on and on about her up coming birthday party, not even interested in going to it. She had more pressing matters to deal with, and her current obsession was the fact that her father wasn't home when he should be and that her mom was really upset. If she didn't know better, she'd say that something bad had happened.

"…So, will you be able to go?" Tammy had just finished the tail end of whatever she had been prattling on and on about. More than likely the color of her balloons and if there was going to be a pool or a clown…normal kid stuff.

"Uh… what? Oh. No. Sorry. Something weird is going on with mommy and dad." Yes, young, innocent Michelle had used the term 'dad'. Obviously, she wasn't too close to her father. Michelle had always been really mature for her age, and she chalked it up to being the daughter of a boring Lawyer. Her mom's life was a little more exciting. Days of going into one of her mom's art rooms, watching her paint beautiful landscapes that could only be locked away in Sams' mind. Her mom had always been very intense when she painted, sometimes even ignoring when Michelle went into the room to give her a glass of water.

"Well… Ok. Maybe you can go next year?" Tammy was obviously disappointed, and Michelle felt a little bit of remorse at the thought of not being able to go. But she really needed to know what was wrong with her mom, and right now, she was waiting for said mother to come and get her.

Almost as if on cue, Sam and an unidentifiable man drove up in an unfamiliar car, the windows rolled down, and Sam laughing at something the man said.

_Who was he?_

_A/N: Yeah. Short. Sorry. TT Read and Review, but no flames!!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: Kay. I'm terribly sorry that this is so short, but I kinda wanted it that way. It just showcases how Michelle feels about Danny, and Danny and Michelle's interactions with each other. Enjoy, and all standard disclaimers apply. :D _

_And yes, this little chapter does have some significance..._

* * *

Michelle narrowed her eyes at Danny. He had a weird feeling about him. There was just something about him that put her off. Was it the messy hair? His striking blue eyes? She didn't know, but all she knew was that he gave her a bad feeling.

"Uh. Mommy… can I talk to you… secretly…," the girl whispered to Sam, her green eyes brightly conveying the importance of it all. Ever since Danny and Sam had picked her up, Michelle had been staring at Danny as if he were the Anti-Christ.

Sam nodded quietly, and followed the 8-year old to the Personal Library. It had three large bookshelves. Most of the books were Law books, some were art, but the majority of them were supernatural and romance. There was one large window that went from practically the floor to the ceiling, and there were no chandeliers or light bulbs of any kind in the room. There were candles on the in tables. Overall, the room had an old, dusty feel. It was reminiscent of a Victorian Era Library.

"What's wrong, sweet heart?" Sam murmured, crouching down so she was at eyelevel with the girl. She picked at the string that stuck out from her pants.

"Danny gives me the creeps… and I don't know why…" Michelle's eyes were big as she looked at her mom, and she fidgeted with one of the buttons on her skirt. She looked like a little girl being chastised.

"Sweet heart… If you were older, I'd tell you why you get that feeling around him, but you're a little too young… but Danny's a good man. He won't hurt you or me." Sam smiled warmly at her daughter, and then stood, taking Michelle's hand and went back to the living room where Danny was waiting.

Danny groaned as he slumped onto the couch, rubbing his arm as he did so. He'd hit it on the corner of the wall. "Stupid… stupid…" he muttered as Sam and Michelle came back in. He could tell that the girl was afraid of him, but he wasn't really sure why. The girl hadn't been very shy toward him, so he knew that it wasn't that he was a stranger… it was probably the fact that he still had a Ghost Aura even then. His hypothesis was that she could sense the fact that he was half dead.

"Ok. So, what does everyone want for dinner?" Sam cried out, smiling broadly. She had a brilliant plan on how Michelle would best understand Danny: Find out straight from the Horses' mouth.

Immediately, Danny and Michelle cried out, "Pizza!!" This caused Danny to laugh, and he ruffled his hair once he calmed down. His scalp was itchy…did he have a infestation of dandruff?

"Kay. I'll order some…" Sam left the room to order said pizza, leaving Michelle and Danny alone in the uncomfortable silence. He saw her eye him like a wild animal, and he didn't blame her. He had that affect on a lot of people.

"What's wrong with you? Mommy won't tell me why you give me the creeps. But I think she knows why." Michelle glared at him, putting her small hands on her nearly nonexistent hips. She definitely looked like Sam.

"Uh… well… It's hard to explain. Maybe if you were older…" Danny supplied, looking any where but at her. He was really uncomfortable.

"I'm not too young!! Everyone thinks I'm this little girl who can't understand anything! I can understand just fine, thank you! Now tell me what's wrong with you!" She fumed at him, her hands now in fists at her side, and her eyes boring into his.

Danny decided to relent, for his life. He knew she'd hurt him (possibly kill him - yikes!)if he didn't tell her. So he launched into the story of what happened to him.

* * *

_A/N: Don't kill me! XD_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: After a long wait, here's the new chapter! Enjoy! :)_

* * *

Michelle stared at Danny for several minutes, before finally saying anything after his long story. During the entire hour that he spoke, she didn't say anything, just let him explain. Her narrowed eyes watched for lying, while her ears listened carefully.

"So… you're Danny Phantom… a half ghost," Michelle shrugged as she looked at her shiny shoes. "'Splains why I get a creepy feeling. But how come you didn't look for a way for it to go away?" the young girl swung her legs back and forth, and Danny was about to answer her question, when Sam came back into the room, carrying two pizza's, a vegetarian cheese pizza and a pepperoni pizza for Danny.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Sam asked as she set the Pizza's on the coffee table, looking at the two expectantly. Her lavender eyes watched Michelle closely for any signs of planning attacks on Danny. Michelle was just putting two slices of cheese pizza on a paper plate, totally at ease around Danny now.

Then Sam's attention fell on Danny, who had half the pizza on his plate already. He was already scarfing down one slice when she mouthed to him: "Did you tell her?" said half ghost nodded toward her, licking a bit of pizza sauce off his chin. Sam suppressed a giggle.

Then she turned to the blank wall in front of her, and picking up a remote, she pressed a button, the Plasma Television set rotating out on the wall. She saw Danny's eyes bug slightly. With a self satisfied smirk, she walked over to the DVD player, and popped in her favorite movie of all time; Labyrinth. It was also kid friendly for Michelle, and that's what she needed. She turned back to the couches and sat down between Danny and Michelle, picking up a plate and loading it with several pieces of pizza. Then she started the movie.

"This isn't a musical is it?" Danny whispered to her, staring as Sarah started reciting her lines with Merlin in front of her. He looked slightly translucent in the dark. But she could still see the slight worry. Danny hated musicals.

"Well…. It has David Bowie in it. And he sings." Right on cue almost, Underground began as Sarah raced home. Danny groaned quite loudly, so Sam and Michelle shushed him in unison.

Several Music numbers later, Danny finished his pizza and decided to go to bed. He hugged Sam and Michelle, and then disappeared to said room. Sam and Michelle looked at each other, a much humored look on their faces, and then burst into laughter. Even though Michelle was young she understood that Sam had put that movie in to mess with Danny.

"I'm gonna go to bed momma." Michelle sighed, hopped off the couch, and traversed the long way to her room in the total dark. Her green eyes glowing slightly as she went, allowing her to see in the dark. "Not to far from now…" a sinister voice snarled out of Michelle.

Sam sighed sadly, picking up the pizza containers and plates, and threw them away. With a click, she turned off the Television, and then went to her room, moving mechanically. It had been a long day, with wild ranging emotions. With another raged sigh, Sam flicked on her light, pulling her jeans off and pulling on a pair of shorts. She turned off the light and then climbed into bed.

The minute Sam's head hit the pillow, she fell asleep un-naturally. Her usual peaceful features contorted in pain and fear. A whimper left her once, and then she succumbed to the effects of her dreams.

* * *

_Sam was being tortured. A slimy hand wound a long her thigh and she whimpered as the spurs on the finger tips left long gashes on her thighs in the dark. A whip came crashing down on her back the next moment; she was strapped to a post in blinding light, her shirt torn off and long painful gashes screaming across her back. The whip kept coming, a manic laughter filling her ears. "Why?" she kept sobbing, over and over, or screamed it as the whip crashed against her pale back. Tears kept streaming, and then her answer came._

_"Because I HATE YOU!" A female voice screamed back at her, and then the image of her daughter flashed into her mind, bright green eyes staring sardonically at her. Then her daughter opened her mouth to talk, and the voice of her torturer flowed out; "I will kill you. And I'll kill Daniel too. No one will stop me."_

Then Sam woke up in a pool of sweat and her sheets tangled around her lithe legs. Where she had been scratched on her thighs ached, as did her back. When she turned on her bedside lamp, and threw back the blankets, she stared in shock at the red lines winding down her legs. When she got off the bed, she stared at her now crimson sheets, and then raced to the adjoined bath room, grabbing a mirror.

She stood there, back to the large mirror over the counter, and the smaller mirror off to the side slightly. She looked through it, and then dropped the mirror. There were gashes across her back under the spaghetti top.

* * *

_A/N: Well, Sam is screwed. XD Cupcakes to whoever can guess what's gonna happen next, and what's going on with Michelle. _


	6. Chapter 6

Danny awoke to an ear shattering scream. In his foggy mindset, it didn't register as Sam's voice, all he knew was the urgency, the _fear_. Without a sound, he was up, phasing through the ceiling. Rushing through walls, he finally found himself in what he surmised was Sam's room. He rushed into the bathroom, not stopping despite noticing the blood on the bed. Goose-pimples rose on his flesh. It was almost like the bed was out of a bad horror flick.

He was jolted to a stop when he saw Sam laying on the bathroom floor, unconcious. He knew she'd dropped after the scream. Rushing to her side, he checked for a pulse, and when he found it, he rolled her over and into his arms. He was careful to avoid the slick red liquid on her body, and the open wounds. Fighting the bile that was rising, Danny rushed to Michelle's room. He only hoped that she was awake.

Sure enough, when he pushed the door open, the 8 year old girl was already up and dressed. The fear was palpable in the room, and without a word, Danny and Michelle rushed to Danny's car. They worked together to situate Sam in the back seats, not bothering with a towel to put under her. Danny didn't really care about blood getting on the backseats.

Michelle got herself situated in the front passanger seat, even if it was dangerous, and Danny barely got in before he got the engine going, and pealed out of the drive way.

"Your mom's gonna be OK, Michelle. Promise."

* * *

**-Beep-Beep-Beep-Beep-** The bustle of people around her. -_I want that IV NOW!- **Ow.-**_ A needle. That hurt. **_-Drip-Drip-Drip-_** Cold latex on her arm. Another needle. Black.

_-The surgery was a success. She's got stitches in all of the wounds. How did she get them again?- _**Oh, she was attacked by a cougar. -** **_Drip-Drip-Drip- _**They're talking again. His voice. Danny? Was he here? Where? -_**Oh.-**_ A hand in hers. It's small, warm. Child.

_-Mommy, wake up.-_ Hand goes away. -**_NO!-_** Replaced by bigger hand. More manly. Snoring. Night? Black.

_-Make sure she's got fluids in her system.-_ Black. **-Please wake up.- **_Mommy...Danny, is she gonna be OK?-_ So dark. No light. Candle? Hospital?

_-Change those sheets-_ "Go back Sam. It's time to wake up." **-Oh, Sammy. Please. If you can hear me...-** "Can you hear me? WAKE UP."

* * *

Several days had passed. Danny and Michelle came to visit every day at noon. Sam still hadn't woke up, but they didn't stop trying. They read to her. Mostly Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, Shakespeare. Whatever they liked. Michelle read Dr. Seuss books. Green Eggs and Ham. Cat in the Hat. It didn't matter what the content was, they read to her, hoping she'd come out of it.

Most days, Sam would respond minimally. A knitting of her eyebrows when Danny took his hand from hers to leave, a tightening of her lips whenever Danny stumbled over a word he would normally understand, a tensing of her eyes when Michelle started to cry. Every so often, there would be no response. She was almost dead-like those days.

And in those days, Danny and Michelle developed a system. Danny would read a passage of whatever book he had with him, and Michelle would read after that for however long she wanted. Then he'd take her home, where a sitter waited. He'd come back to the hospital to do more serious things with Sam. He'd make sure she had her tests done, her IV drip changed out, check her blood. All these things he began to do on his own after watching the Nurses a few times. Soon enough, they didn't need to come in unless they were checking her and shooing him out of her room at the appropriate time.

Danny would hole himself up at night when he got to the Manson house, reading medical book after medical book, and often reading his parent's notes on Ghost encounter side affects. He couldn't figure out what would cause her condition. Nothing made sense. _Anemia? No, that would be different... hmm...open wounds? _His searches would go well into the night, and at 2 o'clock in the morning, each night, he would resign himself to not finding it that time, and would go to bed, so tired that he would pass out in moments. He would dream of Sam dying and coming back as a ghost, blaming him for not finding her cure.

On a Thursday afternoon, at 1:25 pm Sam opened her eyes. It had been a week after she'd gone into a Coma. A smile tugged at her lips when she saw Danny. He was sitting in a chair under the window in her room. He was silently reading to himself - one of the few times he didn't read aloud. The sun bathed his jet black hair in pale light, throwing his face into a silhouette. It made Sams' heart a-flutter.

"Dan-..." Frustration welled up in her. She couldn't speak! She tried to move her arms, and found that they wouldn't respond to her mental commands. "Dan-..."

Danny looked up then. His eyes widened when he saw her tear streaked face. Her eyes were open, and she was looking downward, toward her arms. Sorrow and Pride swelled in him. She couldn't move, but she'd woken up. Tears blurred his vision momentarily, and he took her hand. He'd never been more happy in his entire life at that moment.

"Sam. Welcome back."

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for such a long wait. I've had so much going on that I just haven't gotten to this story. I'm terribly sorry. Next update should be next month. :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: So. I lied. Two updates in the same month. :D Be happy, read it! Oh, and I don't own anthing related to Danny Phantom besides Michelle and Gerard. Whooo!_

* * *

Michelle prided herself on her memory. She remembered her father being an actual father; when he would take her out for ice cream, buy her dolls for her growing doll collection, or sneak in some candy when her mom had punished her for misbehaving. She also remembered when he stopped being her father. He'd come home late, smelling of perfume, cologne, and an undertone of something she just couldn't identify. She later would identify it as what the Lions on the Documentaries did. Sex. She remembered that's what her mom called it when she'd explained it to Michelle when the little girl had asked where babies come from.

Michelle also remembered a darker time. Her parent's would go into nonstop fights, escalating until there was screaming involved. She knew by then that her mother suspected that daddy wasn't being good. She knew that daddy was hiding something, and that the yelling hurt her ears and made her scared. She remembered that was when _he _came to visit her. He had been very nice, offering her solace when no one else offered it. He would block out noise when her parent's would fight, and then have make up sex afterward. He would bring her pretty flowers, saying _'Don't cry, sweetie.' _And she would stop, just like that.

She also remembered the first time she'd touched him. She'd wanted to scream from his coldness, from the fact that her arm went _through_ him. He had smiled and explained that he was special. A ghost, he'd said. She understood. _'Like Casper?' _He'd laughed then, and said, '_Kind of like that.'_ She'd believed him without question after that. Anything he said, she did, as long as it didn't hurt her, and he made sure that it didn't. She didn't mind that he looked scary with his flame-like white hair, or his incredible muscles. Or that she didn't even know his name. She trusted him because he was her rock, her shelter when things steadily got worse and worse, and only she seemed to notice. Her mom went into denial, even believing that their family was ok, that nothing was wrong. Michelle knew the truth, but being only 8 years old, she couldn't exactly voice it.

It was around the time that he had started asking Michelle to meditate every night that she started to have memory lapses, not remembering days at a time, or in fragments. He visited her more often, spending more and more time trying to touch her heart, he said. _'I wish I was like you'_, and he would smile at her, later she would learn that it wasn't for her benefit. It was because she was falling right into his hands.

The night before Sam's attack, Michelle had had her biggest memory lapse since he'd come to visit her. The next thing she'd known, she'd heard her mom screaming bloody murder down the hall, and then the loud thump of her fall. Then Danny banged the door open, her mom in his arms, completely bloody and pale. She'd helped him get her into the car, and Danny had driven them to the hospital like a maniac on the road. She was crying, but so was he, she knew. He would never admit to it.

Michelle was worried. She couldn't remember her mom being attacked by anything.

* * *

"Time to come out and play..." he snarled with Michelle's voice. He was alone in the house for now. The sitter had just left, and Danny was on his way to the house. Looking around, he could see influences of Danny everywhere, even if the Woman would never admit to it. He knew that Sam had once been in love with Danny. He didn't know about now, but he knew he could further it for his use. It would be perfect. Nothing could go wrong.

With an air of authority he climbed the stairs and into Sam's room, looking around. Even in here he could see the influence. Disgusted, he yanked the drawers open, looking around. He couldn't find it! He threw open the closet, and trashed the clothes, still looking. There was nothing. With an inhuman growl, he reached under the bed, pulling everything and everything out from under it. There was the odd sock, a box(which he set aside gingerly), a corset(he raised his eyebrow at that), and a lockbox. Grunting, he forced his power into it, unlocking it in a matter of seconds. He flung the lid open, greedy eyes searching. With gentle fingers, he looked through the various documents and items.

There was Sam's and Michelle's birth certificates, a marriage license, blood work documents, social security documents, identification papers, etc. Boring stuff. Stuff he didn't need. His eyes widdened. There it was! It was spherical in shape, and had a faint green glow. He grinned widely. Oh it was here! Just as the Fates had said, the sphere was here! With a triumphant cry he stood up, looked down at Michelle's body and phased out of it, letting her fall forward.

"Finally my search is over!" But then, at that moment before he could leave, he heard the door in the foyer open, and Danny set down his keys. Frustration welled up. Damn him! Always interfering... Re-entering Michelle's tiny frame, he stood up, and made his way to the door.

* * *

Danny pulled up into the driveway of Sam's house, almost at a crawl now. His drive had been slow going back, with everyone and their mom on the road that night. Honestly, he couldn't figure out why. Groggy, he unbuckled himself and opened the door, steady dinging filling his ears. He slowly climbed out, not allowing himself a moment to think about it. Danny had been known to fall asleep in his car when he didn't feel like getting out. Closing the door and hitting the automatic lock button, he went up the walkway and to the door, not noticing the meanacing feeling exuded by the house - especially the door. His keys jingled as he came in, setting them down lazily on the nearest flat surface. He pulled his jacket off just as Michelle came bounding down the stairs, clutching a strange round object in her left hand. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and it was then that Danny knew something was wrong.

"Hello, Daniel." Such a small phrase, but a shudder coarsed through Danny at the sound of her voice...no. Not her voice.

"Dan Phantom!" Danny managed to choke it out, before his vocal chords failed him. A mocking laugh left the frame of that little girl -Sam's daughter. Her beautiful face contorted into a mockery of her natural features, green eyes begining to glow with the unnatural glow of a Ghost. Dan was in complete control now. Somehow, Danny knew that he'd been there for a while, bidding his time, looking for something. That something was clutched in Michelle's hand, but Danny couldn't discern what it was. It glowed a sickly green instead of the vibrant color it'd flared when he'd walked into the house. It's natural color was white, and he saw little spidery lines along it's surface, reminding him strongly of an Egg.

"Congratulations on stating the obvious, Danny. And so nice to see you." A wicked grin spread over her features, promises of torture and death. And then he phased out of Michelles' body, a bold move on his part, and Dan knew it. Danny went slightly pale at this, and before he could move forward, Dan had phased himself, Michelle, and whatever it was he'd found through the floor and away. Danny immediately phased himself, and then followed after them. He wouldn't let Dan have Michelle.

* * *

"Mr. Borders' I'm very sorry to be calling you this late, but you need to know that your wife has an infection. It's...ah... Well, we've never seen anything like it. It's ectoplasm, sir. Yes... She's getting worse. I'm not sure if she'll be able to hold off the infection. Whatever Ghost got her hurt her pretty bad. The young man said it was a Cougar... hmm..." Dr. Jones looked worriedly at his clip board for Mrs. Borders. It wasn't looking good. He knew he should also tell her husband the slightly better news, but wasn't sure if it would help the situation any. No, he supposed not. It would make things worse.

Sam looked over to the phonebooth outside her room. She was now too weak to move her fingers, toes, and head back and forth. No one, not even the nurses knew what was happening. She knew Danny was worried, even if he didn't show it most days. He had told her that she might just be weak from being in a coma for a week and some days. But she knew that her strenght should be returning. Instead it was leaving her, like her body had given up. Looking back over as far as she could, sam watched the doctor place a call, but in her weakened state, she couldn't decipher it. _Why are my eyes so heavy? Oh, God..._

Slowly, Sam slipped into blackness, not hearing anything but the steady beeping of her heart monitor.

* * *

_A/N: Whooo!! Things are getting more interesting, right? :) Read and review please! _


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: Wow. It's been way too long guys. I apologize profusely. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if I've lost some readers. Well, here's the new chapter, finally. Sorry I've kept you guys so long._

* * *

Danny collapsed onto the living room couch, alone, frightened, and worried. He'd spent at least twelve hours trying to find his best friend's daughter. Sadly, his luck had been horrible. He'd nearly caught Dan twice, and every time he evaded Danny at the last second. Michelle had been unconscious both times and Danny was worried that she'd been hit on the head or something.

Desperation called Danny to bed, but he stood up, fixed himself a cup of black coffee and cracked open every mythology, archaeology, and paleontology book he could find in the house. Surprisingly, it was quite a few, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Sam had garnered an interest in the studies during her time away from the easel. Without giving it much thought he popped open a Greek mythology book and began to read about anything he could find.

Hours passed, and he had moved onto Egyptian mythology. He still found nothing even remotely similar. With a frustrated yell he threw the book onto the coffee table in front of him and stood up ready to rip something to shreds. He cracked his knuckles - a habit he'd picked up when he'd been interrogating a suspect that pissed him off. Danny looked down and noticed another book in front of him on archaeology on the same coffee table. He picked it up, sighed, and sat back down, breathing slowly to keep his temper in check. He turned each page, looking for key words that would lead him in the right direction, and finally at 4 o'clock in the morning his frustration payed off.

Two years ago a strange egg shaped rock had been found in Germany, and after extensive research nothing was concluded about it except that it was prehistoric, so it was put on display as a tool of some sort. A few passages later chilled Danny to the bone, however. It was bought by a Mister Gerard Borders a year ago and kept in private collection. In his private study of the artifact, Gerard had determined that it was an object of ritualistic importance. He knew that Gerard had minored in prehistoric archaeology and that he had probably bought the object and researched it to impress whatever woman that he was with now.

Silently, Danny cursed Gerard for bringing that object where Dan could get to it, and slammed the book shut. He fumed as he went to his room and was still fuming when he laid down. More than anything though, Danny beat himself up for not protecting the people he cared most about. Long after he'd laid down, long after the sun had risen, Danny fell asleep tossing and turning as his imagination played tricks on him.

* * *

Dan finally stopped moving near dawn in Europe. He had Michelle (who was still intangible along with him) thrown over his shoulder, the sphere in his hand. He looked down at the green object with an expression of wonder and appreciation. He had to silently hope that the sight of it appeased her.

He found his way to a ruined cathedral from the middle ages and set up "camp" there. All he did was dump Michelle to the ground. "Well, I hope you're comfortable, because you're staying here." He produced a force-field around the girl that acted as a cage, and then flew off, in search of something that should not be awoken.

Michelle woke up hours after Dan had left. Tears sprang to her eyes as hunger seized her small stomach in an unfamiliar place. She touched the wall of her imprisonment and screamed at the electric shock that slammed into her body. The only thing she knew was that she was very far away from home, and her mom. "Danny...Please help." She sobbed herself back to sleep as she lay on the cold ground.

* * *

Sam slowly woke after loosing consciousness for the third time. All she could hear was the beep of her heart monitor and the coughing of a woman two rooms down. She sighed softly, and tried to move her arms once more. Still no luck. She wanted to scream in frustration, but instead moved her eyes to the window. She was surprised to see a figure asleep in the chair near her. _Danny?_

The figure moved into the weak moonlight filtering through the blinds, and her heart sank. It was Gerard. In replacement of the sorrow a blinding fury found its way out of her chest and she let loose an intelligible scream. Her fury was unmatched, and Gerard suddenly collapsed to the ground out of the chair in surprise.

"Sam! Jesus, you scared the shit out of me!"Gerard whispered hoarsely as he stood up, dusting off his work pants. He sat down in the chair he'd fallen asleep in and stared at her for a few seconds before she opened her mouth to scream again. He reached over and clapped his hand over her mouth. "Sam. Calm down. I know I hurt you, and I'm sorry, and I don't blame you for hating me... but anyway... I wanted to be here when you woke up to tell you that I'm really truly sorry." He paused. "Please Sam. Lets get along for once, hm?"

Sam glared up at him, wishing she could move so she could strangle Gerard. When he wouldn't remove his hand she ran her tongue along it, hoping her saliva would get him to let go of her face. The childish trick worked, and he wiped his hand off on his pants. She knew it was immature, but she had no inclination to be civil when he had left her a week ago for some chick that he got pregnant.

"Gerard, what the hell?! What makes you think I want you ANYWHERE near me?! And NO I don't want to 'get along' with you!" She snapped at him, eyes narrowed with hate and hurt. Sam couldn't help the yearning in her heart as she looked at him. She wished things were the way they once were. She wished that she could move, that Gerard had never left. She still loved him, even if the hate over-road the love. More than anything, though, she wished that she was home with Michelle to tuck her in. Her daughter was her world, and now that her world was back home and she was in the hospital with strange wounds, she didn't know what to do with herself.

Gerard sighed and scratched his neck as he looked at her for several moments. She could tell that whatever it was that was bothering him was having a hard time getting out. After a few minutes, he spoke. "Look, Sam, I've got bad news. Daniel called the hospital a few hours ago. And yes, I know he's staying with you." He paused for several seconds while Sam looked at him expectantly. "Michelle.... Michelle was kidnapped. Daniel said you'd understand. He said it was a man who called himself Dan..." Gerard looked confused and hurt for a moment. He knew that he'd hurt Sam much more than he'd anticipated, and he knew that now all she was living for was Michelle. If he was honest with himself, he knew that everything that had happened to her was his fault, even the ectoplasmic wounds on her back.

Sam on the other hand, was unreadable. Tunnel vision had set in, and her mind had gone blank. The only words she'd comprehended was that Michelle had been kidnapped and that Dan was involved. After a moment, the wailing began.


	9. UPDATE

Update information:  
I regret to say this a lot, because I always told myself I wouldn't be the kind of person to just abandon a story, but I guess I am that kind of person.  
This story, and another one I have been working on has now officially been abandoned and discontinued. I just don't have the time or patience to rework these two stories. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that this is the end. If you would like to tackle the story I have begun, feel free to PM me and request my permission to take it over. In all likeliness I'll give it, but the situation is thus that it's a first come, first serve kind of situation. If no one decides to take them over, I'm deleting them in a couple of months. The same is going to be said for my old one shots.  
I'm just so disgusted with my old writing process, and I have no desire to go back and fix things. Three years has certainly changed me, as well, and those stories and where I had wanted to go with them is the furthest thing from my mind, and most details have been forgotten. I have however, returned to writing, and I've already begun posting some on here. Be sure to look for my new works!

I'm really sorry for this, and I feel like a pretty bad person for it, but that's the nature of things. Feel free to contact me at any time.

Ciao ~


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